Carolyn Williams-noren

The information found in this book is well done and makes good arguments for both sides of the debate. It is written at about a second-third grade level, and has helpful tidbits throughout to teach kids how to make a good argument. However, it seems like the publisher used the cheapest stock images it could find. For example, when talking about the ESRB ratings, show a nice big close up of the rating label. Instead, this book shows a picture of 10 year old games sitting on the shelf were the reader is barely able to read the label. Plus, almost every pictures shows games with wired in controllers. Those are not so easy to come by, and most of the kids reading this book and playing these games are not using a wired controller. The book mentions at least once, mobile games, but other than that does not take into consideration video games on smart devices that don’t have ratings. Overall, this book feels 10 years old, and already out of date.… (mehr)

This is the first book in this series that I do not think is well done. I think this is too simple for the complex subject. This book only looks at 3 arguments, and I don’t think they are very well backed up. Some of the arguments use rational about AC in schools. I know this is supposed to be a 2nd grade general look, but I think even kids would be shocked to learn schools don’t have AC because theirs do. Or the argument about field trips and libraries. What school has the money for that? The ones around my home do not. Plus they use an argument that many teachers get second jobs in the summer and how would they replace that income. Ummm PAY THE TEACHERS WHAT THEY ARE WORTH! Nowhere in this book is funding an argument, and even at second grade I think that needs to be taken into account. They comment that US kids have 900-1000 hours of schooling a year while other countries have as few as 800 hours spread over more days. But it mentions nothing of class size or school funding. There is more to this question and I think this book is just too simple.… (mehr)